A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Dar es Salaam vs. Zagora for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Dar es Salaam or Zagora?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Dar es Salaam and Zagora can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Dar es Salaam or Zagora?

Dar es Salaam

Having grown from a fishing village, Dar es Salaam is now a major city and commercial port on Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast. While it is mainly used as a stopping point on the way to Zanzibar, it has a few unique treasures of its own such as the Kariakoo Market, National Museum, and the open-air Village Museum.

Zagora

A small town in southern Morocco, Zagora is a popular base camp for excursions on foot, by camel, or four wheel drive vehicles into the surrounding desert. One of the most famous and historic treks is the ancient caravan route to Timbuktu, marked by a famous sign at the end of town - indicating a journey of "52 days" by camel.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Safaris in Tanzania, The Best Safaris in Tanzania, The Best Adventure Tours to Morocco, and The Best Cultural Tours in Morocco.


Which place is cheaper, Zagora or Dar es Salaam?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Dar es Salaam is $460, while the average daily cost in Zagora is $50. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Dar es Salaam and Zagora in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Dar es Salaam $434
    Zagora $36
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Dar es Salaam $868
    Zagora $72
Compare Hotels in Dar es Salaam and Zagora

Looking for a hotel in Dar es Salaam or Zagora? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Dar es Salaam


Hotels in Zagora


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Dar es Salaam Hotel Prices and Zagora Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Dar es Salaam $13
    Zagora $1.42

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Dar es Salaam

Also for Dar es Salaam, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Airport Transfer from JNIA Airport to Hotels in Dar essalaam: $55
  • Private Transfer from Dar El Salaam to Julius Nyerere Airport (DAR): $73
  • Dar es Salaam Airport Transfer: $75
  • Airport Transfers To/from Dar Es Salaam City Center Or To/from Your Hotel: $85
  • Sunset Cruise - Magic of Zanzibar Sunset With Transfer - Zanzibar: $100
  • Luxury Coach - Dar Es Salaam Airport Transfer to the City Centre/Out ( 22 max): $113
  • Ferry Tickets to Zanzibar with Transfers.: $120
  • Private Transfer from Dar es Salaam Airport DAR to Dar es Salaam by Luxury Car: $167
  • Private Transfer from Dar es Salaam to Dar es Salaam Airport by luxury car: $167
  • Dar Es Salaam City Tour. All Must See Things (private Guide And Transfer) 9 Hrs : $190
  • Transfer/Airport pick up and drop off: $192
  • Dar es salaam-Morogoro-Dar es salaam transfer with comfortable car: $192

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zagora

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zagora:

  • Airport Private Transfer: $35

Is it cheaper to fly into Dar es Salaam or Zagora?

Prices for flights to both Zagora and Dar es Salaam change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Dar es Salaam $18
    Zagora $13

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Dar es Salaam

For Dar es Salaam, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Private Swahili Cooking Class: $115
  • Swahili food Cooking Experience: $150

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Dar es Salaam -
    Zagora $2.85

Tours and Activities in Dar es Salaam

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Dar es Salaam.

  • Private Insightful City Tour of Dar es Salaam: $25
  • WOW AFRICA TANZANIA EAST AFRICA TOUR.: $35
  • City Walking Tour And Street Food Tasting.: $41
  • City Historical Walking Tour And Street Food.: $41
  • Guided Dar es salaam walking tours: $43
  • Dar Es Salaam:Shore Excursion Tour And Street Food Tasting.: $46
  • Dar es salaam Reality Tour: $51
  • Dar es salaam City Tour & Storytelling: $72
  • Spice tour & Stone Town Zanzibar secrets with Lunch - Zanzibar: $75
  • City Tour: $77
  • Dar es salaam full City tour , unforgettable memory: $77
  • Tanzania Private Swahili culture experience: $80

Tours and Activities in Zagora

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Zagora are as follows:

  • 2 Days Tour to Zagora Desert with sunset from Marrakech: $82
  • 2 days tour from Zagora to Erg Chegaga: $136
  • From Agadir 4 Days 3 night Désert Tours to Marrakech: $1,326
  • From Agadir or Taghazout: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour to Zagora: $353
  • From Agadir or Taghazout: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour to Zagora: $356
  • From Agadir or Taghazout: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour to Zagora: $376
  • From 2-Day Desert Tour to Erg Chegaga: $288
  • Marrakech: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour Zagora & BenHaddou: $111
  • Private Day Camel Trekking Tour in Draa Valley from Zagora: $214
  • Zagora to Erg chigaga desert tour & 4x4 (All-inclusive) 2-Days: $164
  • Zagora to Erg chigaga desert tour & 4x4 (All-inclusive) 2-Days: $164

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Dar es Salaam $7.66
    Zagora -


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Dar es Salaam and Zagora, we can see that Dar es Salaam is more expensive. And not only is Zagora much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Zagora would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Zagora and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Dar es Salaam would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Dar es Salaam than you might in Zagora.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Dar es Salaam Expensive? and Is Zagora Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Dar es Salaam or Zagora?

Dar es Salaam has a larger population, and is about 80 times larger than the population of Zagora. When comparing the sizes of Dar es Salaam and Zagora, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.